Chicago hair salon king snares Furla franchise

Charles Ifergan taps daughters to run Italian handbag store

Charles Ifergan, the crown head of Chicago's hair salon industry, has taken over the Furla boutique on Oak Street and put his daughters in charge of the Italian handbag store.

The Ifergans, no strangers to retail, are hoping to breathe new life into the store.

"What we want to do is bring in a younger, new customer to Furla," said Ifergan.

Daughters Chloe, 32, and Olivia, 23, plan to advertise locally and launch social media campaigns, breaking with practices when the store was owned and operated by Furla's corporate headquarters in Bologna.

Furla, a leather goods company owned by Italy's Furlanetto family, opened the Midwest flagship in 2005. But it kept a low profile, even in the heady "it bag" days, when fashionistas spent more on a bag than on a mortgage payment.

When the recession dealt a blow to the luxury market, Furla USA CEO Tommaso Bruso approached Ifergan about rent concessions in the building he has owned since the 1970s. Instead of lowering the rent, the Ifergans bought the store July 1 as a franchise, the only Furla franchise in the U.S., and poured $500,000 into renovations to the building at 106 E. Oak St. As part of the makeover, Ifergan also brought in Los Angeles cashmere merchant Vince to take over space next door.

While Ifergan was content with operating his four hair salons, he never lost the fashion itch developed when he saw his family work in the business in Paris. And two decades ago, he was part-owner of Jean Charles, a European clothier on Oak Street that closed in 1984.

Furla, a relative newcomer to the U.S., has 14 stores nationally and 320 stores around the world.

"It's a huge learning opportunity for myself and my sister," said Chloe Ifergan. "If this works, it could open the door to other retail."